Method of drying ceramic articles of any kind in drying chambers and apparatus for carrying out the method



Jan. 2l, 1930. K, LUHMANN 1,744,398 METHOD 0F DRYING CERAMIC ARTICLES 0F ANY KIND IN DRYING CHAMBERS AND APPARATUS FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD Filed Sept. 50, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l @j fl/ I//I//I/l/I/ A @i r r r f 7 r f 1 D@ 5 ENCE,

, a r l 7 f f n n a f K. LHMANN Jan. 2l, 1930.

METHOD OF DRYING CERAMIC ARTICLES OF ANY KIND IN DRYIN CHAMBERS AND APPARATUS FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD Filed sept. 5o, 1927 2 sheets-Sheet Patented Jan.. 21, y1930 vUNITED STATES PATENT fori-ICE man LHMANN, oF CELLE, GERMANY METHOD OF DRYING CERAMICv ARTICLES OF ANY KIND IIN DRYING CHAMBERS AND APPARATUS FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD g v Application led September 30, 1927, Serial No.\223,182, and in Germany October 2, 1926.

This invention relates to a method for drying ceramic articles of any 'kind in dryingchambers, in which the drying-zone travels air or by means of a mixture of hot air andI moist air.

The movable drying zone in the juxtaposed drying chambers which are however connected the one with the other to form an endless drying channel is obtained by withdrawing from the process drying-chambers which contain perfectly dry material and by inserting fresh drying-chambers containing fresh material. The hot air supplied to the chambers is then supplied to the next following chamber and the discharge openings of the freshly inserted drying chambers are opened, from the arrangement that the drying air moves from one drying chamber to the other results the advantage, on the one hand, that moist air and hot air may be used for drying, and, on the other hand, that the drying can be carried out continuously without any interruption. According to the new method the drying zone travels in serpentine course without any interruption through the drying chambers. The heat is thus thoroughly utilized, and precipitating-of water is avoided. The drying air is slowly cooled and saturated with water, so that the drying material is preliminarily heated by moist air and renderedy insensitive against the subsequent action of the hot air. For carrying out the method a drying installation is ntilizedwhich is shown, by way of example, in the Figs. 1-8 of the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows in horizontal section a drying plant composed of several chambers.

Fig. 2 shows the top plate of the drying chambers.

Fig. 3 is a cross section through the drying plant on line A--A of Fig. 1.

Fi 4' is a longitudinal section on line Bf- Of 1. u

Fig. 5 shows a drying plant comprising 8 chambers, partly in horizontal section and partly in top plan view.

Fig. 6 shows another form of a drying plant in horizontal section. 4

Fig 7 is a top plan view of Fig. 6.

Fi 8 is va longitudinal section on line C- of Fig. 6.

The drying plant shown in Figs. 1 to 4 65 consists of any desired number, for instance 4, parallel drying-chambers 1, 2, 3, 4. The ends ofthe drying-chambers are closed by doors t. Under the drying-chambers several transverse channels extend, which serve, on the one hand, for supplying hot air and, on the other hand, for producing the endless connected chambers. The transverse channels a', b, c, d, the .channels a and d being situated at the ends of the drying chambers 75 1 to 4, are adapted to be connected with the channel Z for the supply of hot air by opening registers s1, s2, s3, s4 at theends of the channels a and UZ. The top walls of the transverse channels a to OZ have openings closedy by flaps cl, k2, 7c3, 4. The iaps le, toJc4 at the head ends of the chambersserve to conneet these chambers to form an endless channel, the transverse channels a and d serving to connect the end chambers 1 and 4 and to return the drying air from the chamber 4 to the chamber 1. In the top wall of each chamber a number of discharging o enings z', h, g, 7 and e arranged designated y z', to 4, h1 to 4 and so forth.

The drying zone begins with the admission of drying air into one chamber and is limited by a Ventilating opening in another chamber. The drying zone is moved or yconveyed by the insertion of one or several chambers 95 filled with fresh drying material and by the shutting-ofi of the chambers filled with completely dried material.l Thelength of a drying zone depends on the movement of the air, the heat degrees and the moistness of the 100 drying material. The working can be carried through with several drying zones, according to the number of chambers, 4, 8 or more chambers. The drying operation 1n this drying plant is as follows Suppose t 1c register' s1 and the Hap 701 of the transverse-channel d and the Haps lc, and of channel a and discharging openings gZ of the chamber 2 are open,'the hot air Hows then through the channel d and openlng k1 into the chamber 1, through this chamber absorbing water from the drymg material, and at the opposite end through the open Hap lul into the transverse-channel a and through the open Hap k2 into the chamber, in which the articles to be dried are then treated with the moist hot air from chamber 1. When the drying air is thoroughly saturated with water, it is made to escape, for instance through the discharging-openings g2. When the air is still able to absorb water, it can be' Iconducted through the Haps k2 of chamber 2 and k3 to the chamber 3Mfrom which it is discharged into the atmosphere through one of thedischarging openings,for instance g3 or h3. When the material to be dried situated between the channels d and c of the chamber 1 is dry and when the air at g2 1s no longer saturated with water, the register si and the opening k1 in channel d are closed. The register s2 is then opened and the Hap k1 of the channel c is opened also. Hot air Hows then through the open register s2 into the chamber l and Hows out of this chamber through the open end Hap k1 of channel a and through the end-Hap k2 of the chamber 2 into this chamber 2, dries the material and is discharged into the atmosphere through f2. At the-opening of register sa of the channel b, the hot air Hows into the chamber l and along the path described through the open Hap k2 of the channel a into the chamber 2, the discharging opening e4 of which is open. When the material in chamber 1 has been completely dried, this chamber may be shut off and emptied andthe chamber 3, which in the meantime has been filled With fresh drying material to be dried, is inserted into the drying process. The hot air from channel Z will then, register s1 being open and Hap k1 being closed and Hap 702 of the channel d being open, How into and through the chamber 2 and thence through k2 and las cj the channel a into the chamber 3, from which it is discharged through one of the discharging openings i to e, or it is conducted into thel chamber 4 when the Haps k3 and h4 of the channel a are open. The chamber 4 is made to communicate with chamber 1 by opening the Haps 104 and cl of the channel d.

The drying plant shown in Figs. 4 and 5 differs from the drying-plant which has just been described only in that eight drying chambers are arranged side by side, under which extend the hot air supply channels a,

b, e and d having the Haps k1 to lcs. The operation is the same as that of the drying plant shown in Figs. l to 3.

The transverse channels a, b, c, d and the hot air-supply-channel Z-may be arranged on the top instead of under the bottom-plate of the dryin Y chambers. The Ventilating openings may be on the lower end.

Figs. 6 to 8 show another form of construction of the drying plant. The drying channels 1 to 8 are arranged in the same manner as above described and closed at the ends by doors t. While in the drying plants shown in Figs. l to 5 the endless connection is established by the transverse-channels a and d and by the Haps k1 to 7a4, the communication to form an endless channel is obtained in this form of construction by doors T in partitionwalls o. The drying air is returned from the end-chamber 8 to the Hrst chamber 1 by means of a connecting-channel z at the head end of the chambers. The hot air is supplied through a channel Z1 extending transversely underneath the drying chambers and having registers k1 to les in its top-Wall. In the topplate of the chambers discharging-openings z', h, g, f, each closed by a Hap, are arranged.

The hot air from channel Z1 Hows through the open Hap k1 into and through the chamber 1 and through the door T into the chamber 2 from which it escapes through the discharging openings g, h or throughthe door T at the other end of the chamber into the chamber 3 to be discharged in saturated state through any of the discharging openings z', g, h, f at any convenient point. The drying air is returned from chamber 8 to chamber 1 through the connecting channel a, in the top plate of which openings u, u are arranged which are adapted to be closed. The operation is similar to that described above.

Instead of arranging in each partition o alternately a door T at the one and then at the other end, a door T might be provided at each end, and a second connecting channel a may be arranged along the other end of the chambers.

I claim:

1. A method of drying ceramic articles in a plurality of drying chambers, which comprises causing dr ing air to enter any one of the drying cham rs and discharge into any other drying chamber, cutting off the supply of drying air entering a chamber and directing it into another chamber containing partly dried articles, and connecting the latter chamber in serieswith another chamber and emptying the Hrst chamber.

2. A method of drying ceramic articles in a plurality of drying chambers, which comprises causing dryin air to enter into one chamber at any one o a number of entrances along the chamber, and directing the air from said chamber into any other chamber, cuttin off the air supply to the lirst chamber and emptying it, and then directly supplying the second chamber with drying air and Connecting it in series with any one of the remaining chambers.

3. A method for drying ceramic articles in a plurality of drying chambers, which com prises causing drying air to enter into one chamber at any one of a number of entrances along the chamber, and directing the air from said chamber through portions of other chambers in succession, then directing the drying air into the second chamber extending the series of connected chambers and discharging the first chamber.

4. A plant for drying ceramic articles, comprising a plurality of parallel drying chambers, a transverse lue between the ends of said chambers, means to connect the alternate ends of the chambers in series, means to close each such connection, means to connect each chamber with the flue, and a second ilue to connect the end chambers of the series.

y 5. A plant for drying' ceramic articles, comprising parallel drying chambers, means to supply hot air, a plurality of iuesbeneath the chambers connected to said means and extending transverselyl across all the chambers,

flaps between each chamber and flue and closable connectionsbetween the flues and said means, and a plurality of discharge openings in the top .of each chamber, said flues constituting means to supply hot air to the chambers as well as series connecting means belween a chamber and other chamber or chamers.

Intestimony whereof I aiix my signature.

KARL LHMANN.. 

